In Tuesday’s (7/7) San Jose Mercury News (California), Jessica Bernstein-Wax reports, “Gideon Grau, a violinist, conductor and longtime music director of the Palo Alto Philharmonic Association, has died. He was 86. Grau died in his sleep June 29 at an Atlanta hospital after being diagnosed with a brain tumor earlier this year, his son Jonathan said Monday. Grau lived in Atlanta for several years after retiring as the Palo Alto Philharmonic’s music director and conductor in 2003. … Grau was born Dec. 24, 1922, in Berlin, Germany, but received his education and musical training in Israel and the United States. An accomplished violinist, he earned a scholarship from the Julliard School and performed as first violinist in the Cleveland Orchestra under renowned conductor George Szell. He also served as concertmaster and assistant conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and musical director and conductor of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, his son said. In 1988, Grau and other local musicians founded the Palo Alto Philharmonic.”
Posted July 7, 2009
